Phuket, the largest island in Thailand is a well known tourist destination. It attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year from dozens of countries. Nicknamed the Pearl of the Andaman Sea, Phuket has much to offer the tourist, not least of all, its beautiful beaches which are generally found on the western side of the island.
The most famous beach of all is Patong, which boasts several kilometers of sandy beach situated in a wide bay. Patong is the most popular resort on the island with many hotels and seafront restaurants. Consequently, it is busy and crowded with sun loungers and parasols. There are also a variety of watersports in which to participate - paragliding, sailing, banana boat riding and jetskis. For those seeking a more peaceful beach experience, either end of the beach is quieter if not exactly secluded.
South of Patong and just along the coast are Karon, Kata and Kata's sister beach Kata Noi. These are the next most popular beaches that appear to strive to emulate Patong. Not quite as brash as Patong, but offering similar amenities, both resorts have expanded quickly to take the overspill from Patong.
Further south still along the coast, can be found Nai Harn beach. Much less developed than the previously mentioned beaches, Nai Harn is in a bay favoured by visiting yachtsmen as an anchorage. There are a number of small restaurants lining one end of the lovely sandy beach.
To the north of Patong, a number of rather beautiful , less populated beaches stretch along the coast.
Kamala was hit hard by the 2004 tsunami but has now undergone something of a transformation as there is now a short promenade lining the populated part of the beach, and a number of new small hotels and restaurants have sprung up. This is a beautiful, long beach much less crowded than its southern neighbours.
Laem Sing beach, accessible via a path leading down from the road is a small beach which has become rather popular with the younger tourists as a cool and hip place to gather. They travel from the surrounding resorts such as Patong in tuk tuks or on motorbikes for the purposes of paying homage to the golden globe in the sky and just to look and feel cool.
Surin beach is a relatively small beach which is not only popular with the locals, but it has also been discovered by the tuk tuk and motorbike travelling crowd. There are many restaurants here including a couple of up market, so called "Beach Clubs", one of which belongs to a nearby hotel. It is a great place to sip a cocktail and watch the spectacular sunsets.
Next, up the coast, is Bang Tao Bay which houses a beach of the same name and also Layan beach. The southern end of Bang Tao beach is a fishing community, after which there is a fine stretch of beach eventually leading to the Laguna complex with its several 5 star hotels. The sand is powdery white and there are some good beach restaurants. The length of the beach is such that it is never crowded.
At the northern end is Layan beach, another beach popular with the locals. It is also partly a National Park so should, in theory, retain its natural beauty. A couple of small rivers acting as a haven for long tailed boats and a small offshore island add to the natural beauty of this particular beach.
Nai Thon is a gem of a beach which is still relatively undiscovered. It is, up to now, very quiet as there are just one or two small guesthouses and a few restaurants and bars. The sand here is white with shady spots under the casuarina trees. It is an idyllic place to chill out.
Nai Yang beach is home to a couple of hotels as well as a National Park. It is a very large beach with white sand. Vast expanses of sand are exposed at low tide. Beach restaurants populate one are of the beach whilst the National Park area is colonised by sea gypsies. Although it has gained in popularity over the years, this is still a relatively quiet beach which is well worth a visit. It is very close to the airport affording good views of planes passing over its northern tip to land or take off.
Just around the corner from Nai Yang is the huge expanse of Mai Khao beach which is more or less totally undeveloped except for a large Marriott hotel. The beach is famous for turtles who come ashore at certain times of the year to lay their eggs.
Phuket's beaches are beautiful and inviting as is the sea, but please, take notice of the flags, as swimming on some of these beaches is notoriously dangerous especially during the monsoon season. Every year tourists are drowned on Phukets beaches notably Bang Tao, Surin, Patong and Nai Harn. If you see a red flag, stay out of the water!
